Girls Heart Books Cover Reveal: Deceitful Truths - Maggie Thomas

Girls Heart Books Book Blast: Gemini the Heir - Kristen DaRay

Gemini the Heir

Gemini Book # 2

By-Kristen DaRay

Expected Publication Date- December 1st, 2013

Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Just a year ago, I thought I was an ordinary human, and I gave up everything on Earth to save the people I loved. I have become the Lenai of Emréiana, making me the heir to the Emréian throne. It also makes me in charge of defeating the Bremoir, a race that has been consuming other worlds. If I can’t stop them, the universe is doomed.

Then there is Aaronmon, my betrothed. We have only known each other for a year, but our bond is strong. It’s that bond that makes it hard to know my true feelings. While I think I am ready for the ceremony, I wonder if I really love him like I loved Kyle, my ex- boyfriend who was murdered.

But none of my feelings matter. In order to rule Emréiana, I must go through with the bonding ceremony. If I don’t, then I risk losing the right as heir and I’ll have no power in the war against the Bremoir. Nobody wants them defeated more than me.

Girls Heart Books Book Blast: This Reckless & Unreasonable Love - Kayley Higgins

This Reckless & Unreasonable Love

By- Kayley J. Higgins

Published By- SideStreet Cookie Publishing

Esmeralda Grant, or Esme as her friends know her, has spent all of high school waiting to get out of her house and live with her boyfriend Peter Campbell. Away from her drug addict mother and her abusive alcoholic boyfriend. Away from the hopeless life she’s lead. Then her world suddenly changes.  

Esme and Peter go see a local band play one Saturday night and the last song they play changes her. The band sings about Someone Who loves her, no matter what she’s done, and Who will always love her.  

As she learns more, she changes and so does everything and everyone around her. She loses friends and gains new ones. She begins to really care for herself and the life growing in her body. Her life is turned upside down but the new Constant in her life pushes her to become the woman she was designed to be. She holds on to the only thing pulling her out of the darkness, into the light: This Reckless & Unreasonable Love.

NetGalley Book Review: Being Sloane Jacobs - Lauren Morrill

Author:  Lauren Morrill
Genre: Young Adult; Romance, Coming of Age
Publication Date:  January 7, 2014

**This book was an Advanced Reader Copy from Netgalley.com; other than the joy of reading - I was granted no compensation to review this book.**

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):  Meet Sloane Emily Jacobs: a seriously stressed-out figure-skater from Washington, D.C., who choked during junior nationals and isn’t sure she’s ready for a comeback. What she does know is that she’d give anything to escape the mass of misery that is her life.

Now meet Sloane Devon Jacobs, a spunky ice hockey player from Philly who’s been suspended from her team for too many aggressive hip checks. Her punishment? Hockey camp, now, when she’s playing the worst she’s ever played. If she messes up? Her life will be over.

When the two Sloanes meet by chance in Montreal and decide to trade places for the summer, each girl thinks she’s the lucky one: no strangers to judge or laugh at Sloane Emily, no scouts expecting Sloane Devon to be a hero. But it didn’t occur to Sloane E. that while avoiding sequins and axels she might meet a hockey hottie—and Sloane D. never expected to run into a familiar (and very good-looking) face from home. It’s not long before the Sloanes discover that convincing people you’re someone else might be more difficult than being yourself.

Review:  I have found that I like Lauren Morrill’s writing style quite a bit, as I read Meant to Be earlier this year, and was granted access to read an ARC version of Being Sloane Jacobs from Netgalley. Her story telling is very simple and sweet, creating likable characters and stories that touch your heart without squeezing it to little bits before attempting to put it back together again.  

Being Sloane Jacobs was a quick fun read.  It is the whole “parent swap” concept meets the ice!  The characters, (both Sloane Jacobs), have a lot of depth and they were teachable, which I enjoy. I hate characters are written so stubborn or set in their ways that they are  unable, or unwilling to change at all, and then at the end of the book it's like (BLING) a light goes on, and all is well in the world with everything resolved. I loved how Lauren Morrill painted parallels between the characters; each version of Sloane has their own demons and reasons for making the swap, but they each learn life lessons, deal with bullies, make new friends and, in the end, find themselves.  Like I said, it was a fun, sweet, simple book. 

While the plot line may not be overly original, and the ins and outs of the book were easy to predict, I enjoy quick reads that make you love the characters and makes your heart happy.  There are plenty of books out there with all the suspense any one person can handle, now and then we just need to sit back, relax, and make new friends. I would recommend this book to those who love to read books by Sarah Dessen, and completely recommend it for teenagers of all ages.

Lauren Morrill
**Bio info from Goodreads.com

url:  https://www.goodreads.com/laurenmorrill

born:  December 02, 1982

website:  http://www.laurenmorrill.com

twitter username:  laurenemorrill

genre:  Young Adult

 

 Lauren Elizabeth Morrill is many things, including, but not limited to, a writer, an educator, a badass roller derby skater, a former band nerd, an aggressive driver, and a die-hard Mac person. She also watches a lot of TV, eats a lot of junk food, and drinks a lot of Coke. It's a wonder her brain and teeth haven't rotted out of her head.

Her first novel, Meant to Be, sold in a two-book deal to Wendy Loggia at Delacorte for Paper Lantern Lit.

Crash Into You - Katie McGarry

Author: Katie McGarry
Genre: New Adult, Romance
Publication Date: November 26, 2013


**I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.com, and was in no way otherwise compensated for this review.**

Synopsis (From Goodreads.com): The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Review: Crash Into You is the third book of the Pushing the Limits series by Katie McGarry I have read all of these books, and have enjoyed each and every one of them for different reasons. Katie McGarry writes about individuals who are broken and beaten down by life. Her stories are on the edge of what I like to read – there have been references to drug use, and alcohol consumptions, only it is done in such a way that it does not really pain either of them in a light that is anything but negative and points out the fact that they cause you to lose control of yourself.

I was more than happy for Isaiah to get his story, especially after reading Dare to You, and how Beth moved on without him. All along I didn’t think Beth and Isaiah would be “good” for each other, however prior to reading Dare to You I was hoping that Katie McGarry would find a way. She did, and this way is much better.

Rachel lives in a world where everything is planned and laid out nicely for her. On the outside she is playing the perfect daughter and sister, while on the inside she’s screaming for release; which we find from the first chapters, can only be found while driving her Mustang. She also suffers from severe panic attacks that has, in the past, landed her in the hospital. I found Rachel to be the perfect mix of girl and tomboy, as even though she wasn’t into frills and ribbons, she did seem to care about looking nice and she never seemed to have that tough exterior that you would think a girl who likes to hang out in the garage fixing cars would have. Her brothers were extremely over bearing, and at times over the top with the “make mom happy” line. I was frustrated to no end at the road block they seemed to put in front of any guy who even looked in her direction.

Isaiah is recovering, slowly but surely, from having his heart handed to him on a silver platter. It is obvious pretty quickly that no matter how much he thought he loved Beth, it clearly wasn’t as much as he thought he did. He fell for Rachel pretty fast and hard. I love that he is protective of Rachel, but not to the point of being over bearing, in fact he encourages Rachel to be brave and do things she wouldn’t normally do. (Even at times skipping school..but you know.) He became a balance in Rachel’s [not-so] perfect life. She does the same for him, helping him to move forward and on with his life.

Crash Into You not only was a fast and fun journey of danger and recovery, but it was pretty hot and steamy in parts to, but in a very slow paced sort of way, since upon meeting Isaiah, Rachel had never even been kissed. This book is what I would consider “New Adult” and does include talk about drugs (while no actual usage), talk about alcohol, and some sexual content. I do not recommend this book for young teenagers.